Cambridge itself boasts more than 80 miles of cycle lanes, and there are dozens of other routes linking the city with surrounding towns and villages.

The main railway station's bike park, CyclePoint, has room for nearly 3,000 cycles, and soon after it opened in 2016 it won the top honour in the National Cycle-Rail Awards.

Award winner: the city's CyclePoint at Cambridge Station

And the Chisholm Trail, a segregated route that will enable bike riders to traverse the city free from cars and other traffic, is one of many major cycling projects in the city and beyond.

Cambridge's Devonshire Road cycle bridge was the biggest of its kind in Europe when it opened in the 1980s

Hills Bridge Road near the station, for example, is used by 4,000-5,000 cyclists a day, and for that reason priority has been given to cyclists, pedestrians and buses.

The Chisholm Trail

Veteran cyclist Jim Chisholm, of the Cambridge Cycling Campaign, said the growth of cycling in the city has not been due to students taking to two wheels, but to residents.

He said fewer students cycle now than in previous years, and many haven't cycled since childhood.

Royal pedaller: Prince Charles cycling in Cambridge in April 1969 (Picture: Council of Photographic News Agencies)

Cambridge was also lucky during the Sixties and Seventies, when many cities increased motor traffic, he added - somehow Cambridge missed out on that, meaning more people kept cycling.

He said: "It is the ordinary people of Cambridge who cycle; it is your parents having the courage and confidence to cycle that means children have the confidence. If you don't have parents who cycle it is difficult."

How did it all start?

Cambridge's love affair with travelling on two wheels began in Victorian times. In the mid-1800s, bicycles were like hobby horses, with two wheels connected by a wooden frame - very uncomfortable to ride. Then in the later years of the century, wire wheels, metal frames and rubber tyres appeared.

Cambridge News ad: bikes got popular in Cambridge in Victorian times

In 1888, the year the first Cambridge News newspaper was printed, it was announced the chain wheel drive bicycle had been invented, equipped with pneumatic tyres.

As our advert from the paper here shows, bikes were soon big business in the city, and its flat terrain meant cycling became hugely popular.

Download the Cambridge News app

We've launched our very own app for Android and Apple devices which can be tailored to deliver the news and sport that you're interested in.

What do people say about cycling in Cambridge?

In an article about Cambridge, The Guardian said: "In Cambridge cycling has consistently remained a popular means of transport and so investment into cycling has continued over the years.

"People teach cycling to their children, who in turn cycle into adulthood. It is just a part of normal life. Where many towns are now choked with cars, Cambridge's faith in the bicycle has made it sadly unique among British towns and cities.

"Perhaps more positively, however, this has made it a model for what can be achieved when people believe in the bicycle."

Cycling is deemed the easiest way to get around the city (Picture: Keith Jones) (Image: Keith Jones)

Liz Coppersmith, who grew up in Cambridge but now lives near Ipswich, said: "I got a bike when I was 12 and loved riding it around Cambridge. It was a love that has statyed with me all my life.

"One reason I think cycling is so popular in Cambridge is that the population are very, very pro-environment. People just think cycling is better for the planet, and better for their health too."

Hello, hello, hello: the failed Green Bike scheme

Sometimes efforts to promote even more cycling have come unsaddled. The Green Bike scheme of the 1990s - where anyone could pick up a bike for free from a network of stands - foundered when all the bikes vanished within a few days.